'British firm B-Secur is working on technology that will place medical-grade sensors inside a car's steering wheel to monitor a person's unique cardiac rhythm.

A car equipped with suitable computing power and an accurate ECG would be able to recognise abnormalities in its owners physical state and alert them to a potential problem.

Alan Foreman, CEO of B-Secur, told MailOnline:

Electronics within the car, in the steering wheel for example, are able to detect heartbeat signals that can be used to monitor drivers for a variety of health related data including stress, fatigue and even cardiac arrhythmias.

ECG Biometrics in Automotive

Enhancing Driver Safety and Security in a Heartbeat

In commercial cars by 2020

B-Secur CEO Alan Foreman said:

"Access to this health data from cars will be on a scale that has not been possible until now. In less than two years this technology will be available in new cars and will lead to improved driver wellbeing, health and safety outcomes before seeing a medical expert."